IT’S a tale of good vs. evil. Lion vs. Witch. Minotaur vs. Marsh-wiggle. The long-awaited screen adaptation of the cherished fairy tale “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (the first of seven books in author C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia”) finally hits theaters on Friday. In short: The four Pevensie children find a magical wardrobe that leads to a parallel universe and a land called Narnia, with an evil White Witch (played by Tilda Swinton) and talking animals, one of which is a magnificent lion, Aslan (voice by Liam Neeson).

But if you can’t find your old books in the attic (yes, we know you saved them), here’s our refresher course on all things Narnia, from A to Z.

Aslan. King of Narnia, and the creator of all its talking beasts. The shrewd and magnificent lion strives to keep Narnia a happy place, free of evil witches, malicious minotaurs and cruel Calormenes. Aslan is not always living in Narnia, so he summons children from Earth to help battle evil.

Beavers. Mr. & Mrs. Beaver live in Beaversdam, a cozy igloo in the Narnia woods. The loving “odd couple”-like pair aid the Pevensie children on their dangerous journey through Narnia to find Aslan and fight the White Witch.

Cair Paravel. The castle of the four thrones, which sits high on top of a hill overlooking the sea. There is a saying that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in these four thrones, it will be the end of the evil White Witch’s reign.

Deep Magic. A set of laws that have been around since the dawn of time, and were written by Aslan’s father, the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. In “Wardrobe,” the White Witch uses the laws to argue that a traitor’s blood belongs to her.

Edmund Pevensie, the traitor child who is tempted by the evil magic of the Turkish Delight given to him by the White Witch. He betrays his siblings, but soon sees the error of his ways. Aslan sacrifices himself for Edmund’s blood debt.

Faun. A creature that is half man, half goat. Lucy’s first friend in Narnia after coming through the wardrobe is nervous Mr. Tumnus, the umbrella-toting faun. He is turned to stone for betraying the White Witch.

Giants. A race of tall beasts who, like humans, are good (the Buffins) and evil (the Ettins).

“The Horse and His Boy.” The fifth of the Lewis’ “Chronicles,” this is the only novel that does not feature any of the children from England. It is the story of Shasta, a poor boy from the slave land of Calormen, who meets a talking horse named Bree. The two escape and search for Narnia. It bears a strong resemblance to the journey of Moses.

Ice Age. Under the White Witch’s reign, all of Narnia has turned into ice and snow for 100 years.

Jill Pole. The shy schoolmate of Eustace Scrubb (the bratty cousin of the Pevensies), who becomes a fearless queen in the “The Silver Chair” and “The Last Battle,” the final two of C.S. Lewis’ novels.

King Peter Pevensie the Magnificent. The eldest of the four Pevensie children and the voice of reason among them, he is the “High King,” as Aslan refers to him, and he leads Aslan’s army to war against the White Witch.

Lamp-post. It is the light Lucy Pevensie follows when she emerges from the wardrobe. The lamp-post marks the far west of Narnia and the entry way back into the World of Men. It was brought to Narnia from the White Witch, in the shape of an iron bar, and was used as a weapon in an attempt to kill Aslan while he was creating Narnia in “The Magician’s Nephew.”

Minotaurs. Ferocious creatures that resemble bulls, but stand upright like men. They carry two-headed axes and wear heavy body armor. The coolest creatures in the film from New Zealand’s Weta Workshop (the same guys who did the Orcs in “Lord of the Rings”).

Old Narnia, a time when animals spoke and King Edmund, King Peter, Queen Lucy and Queen Susan still ruled.

Prophecy. The prophecy in “Wardrobe” foretells the coming of the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, the end of One Hundred Years of Winter and the reign of the White Witch.

Queen Lucy the Valiant. The central character in the C.S. Lewis novels, she is the first to discover the wardrobe, and none of the children believe her at first. She continues to befriend creatures such as the mouse Reepicheep and the Sea Girl in “Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” C.S. Lewis named her in honor of his granddaughter, Lucy.

Rhindon. The name of Peter Pevensie’s sword he uses to kill the monstrous wolf Fenris Ulf, captain of the White Witch’s secret police.

Stone Table. Carved with the words of the deep magic, this slab of gray stone is the place where the children must journey to meet Aslan in “Wardrobe.”

Turkish Delight. A magical treat created by the White Witch to lure malicious Edmund Pevensie back to Narnia with his brothers and sisters.

Underland. The deep, dark land that lies beneath Narnia, and resembles hell. Schoolmates Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb are called to Narnia to save Prince Rilian (son of King Caspian) from an evil Underland queen named Jadis, who has enslaved him.

“Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” the third of C.S. Lewis’ novels. Lucy, Edmund and their obnoxious cousin Eustace are magically transported through a painting onboard a dragon-shaped ship, where King Caspian is searching for the seven lost friends of his father.

White Witch. This evil queen of Narnia casts a spell on the land so that it is always winter and never Christmas. She wields a wand, rides a sleigh steered by dwarfs and turns creatures into stone.

Prince Caspian X. Son and heir of King Caspian IX, an adventurous boy who awakens the talking beasts in Old Narnia. In “Dawn Treader,” he sails to the World’s End in search of the Seven Noble Lords, friends of his father who were banished by his evil uncle.

Yellow Ring. A means of transport between both worlds: Narnia and Earth. In “The Magician’s Nephew,” magician Uncle Andrew gives a pair of gloves and a set of rings to his nephew Digory, telling him the moment he touches the yellow ring, “you vanish out of this world.”

Zero time. No matter how long it seems you live in Narnia, zero time has passed once you return to Earth.

2,500 years of Narnian history

One of the unique aspects of “The Chronicles of Narnia” is the way time works. Two thousand years in Narnia may equal only 50 in England.

After growing into adult kings and queens in Narnia in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardobe,” the four Pevensie children – Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan -return through the wardrobe to England, only to find that not a moment has passed.

“If you spent a hundred years in Narnia, you would still come back to our world at the very same hour of the very same day on which you left,” writes author C.S. Lewis. “And then, if you went back to Narnia after spending a week there, you might find that a thousand Narnian years have passed, or only a day, or no time at all.”

Lewis also published his seven-book series out of order. It isn’t until the sixth book, “The Magician’s Nephew,” that he tells the story of the creation of Narnia and the history of the evil White Witch.

Below is a timeline of the Pevensie children’s adventures in Narnia, as close as possible to what they experienced:

The Dawn of Time. The Deep Magic is written by the Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea, Aslan’s father.

English year: 1900

Narnian year: 1

The creation of Narnia, as told in “The Magician’s Nephew.” A world of talking animals and walking trees is created by Aslan the Lion. He sings a song: “Narnia. Narnia. Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.”

English year: 1940

Narnian year: 1000

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The four Pevensie children – Lucy, Susan, Edmund and Peter – enter Narnia through a magic wardrobe and save it from the reign of the White Witch, who has cast a spell causing 100 years of winter.

English Year: 1941

Narnian Year: 2303

“Prince Caspian.” After Queen Lucy, Queen Susan, King Edmund and King Peter return to England, evil has once again cast its doom on Narnia. Prince Caspian the 10th must escape from the evil King Miraz’s castle and venture to the Old Narnia to become allies with the talking animals in order to restore peace to Narnia. He blows the magic horn to summon help from Edmund, Lucy and Peter.

English year: 1942

Narnian year: 2306

“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” Lucy, Edmund and Prince Caspian travel to the End of the World on the magical ship in search of the seven lost friends of his father. We are introduced to the Pevensie’s bratty cousin, Eustace Clarence Scrubb, who is turned into a dragon for misbehaving.

English year: 1942

Narnian year: 2356

“The Silver Chair.” Eustace Scrubb and his schoolmate Jill Pole are called to Narnia to defeat an evil witch, the Queen of Underland, while searching for King Caspian’s only son, King Rilian.

English year: 1949

Narnian year: 2555

“The Last Battle.” War breaks out between good and evil in the final days of Narnia. The talking animals are deceived into believing that Aslan has sold them as slaves to the Calormemes, a cruel and evil people. Aslan reveals a new world, which marks the end of Narnia.